IP network information database in mobile devices for use with media independent information server

Abstract

A mobile device receives wireless network information from a MIIS (Media Independent Information Server), and builds its own database of existing networks with their associated characteristics, appropriately mapped with GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) coordinates or other appropriate form of geographical location identifying information. Consequently, the mobile device becomes “smart” over time through the learning process of first attempting to utilize its own developed database and, only if such database information falls short, making a remote query to a MIIS to get required information for session continuity and performing handovers. The mobile device may store the information received from the MIIS in its own local database together with a time-stamp. Each time the mobile device needs to get updated or new information, it sends a request to the MIIS along with the time-stamp appended to the request. In this way, the mobile device is sent only the information that it does not already have stored in its database.

Description

BACKGROUND [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present application relates generally to wireless networking, and more particularly to systems and methods for supporting the seamless handoff or transfer of mobile devices across different network access points of homogeneous or heterogeneous wireless networks, whereby such mobile devices may connect to different wireless networks and / or wireless network access points as needed to maintain session continuity. [0003] 2. General Background Discussion [0004] Internet Protocol [0005] IP is a connectionless protocol. The connection between end points during a communication is not continuous. When a user sends or receives data or messages, the data or messages are divided into components known as packets. Every packet is treated as an independent unit of data. [0006] In order to standardize the transmission between points over the Internet or the like networks, an OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model was established. The OSI mode...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0044] The time-stamp also facilitates the fetching of only delta information from the MIIS (i.e., the difference between the information stored in the mobile device's database and the information held by the MIIS). Thus, the time-stamp based query causes the MIIS to send only the updates, if any exist, after the time specified in the time-stamp appended to the MIIS query. The MIIS will accordingly respond with only the updates instead of flooding the mobile device with information that the mobile device might already have.

[0045] The preferred embodiments of the invention thus make the mobile device MIIS query and response communication optimum and efficient. This will not only reduce superfluous traffic on the network but also will eliminate unnecessary burdens on the MIIS, thus making the interaction between the MIIS and the mobile device faster and more effective.

Problems solved by technology

Otherwise, routing protocols would not be able to deliver the packets properly.

However, the present inventors believe that the variation of radio signal strength could be reflective of an actual network deterioration necessitating the switching of a mobile device from one network to another, or it could be a false alarm because of inherent characteristics of network radio signals that result in transient variations.

Consequently, where the perceived network deterioration because of signal strength variation is false, the mobile device will unnecessarily send MIIS queries and will repeatedly receive the same superfluous information.

Further, a mobile device is likely to repeatedly traverse the same geographical area (e.g., an office employee will mostly travel from home to office and back).

Consequently, repeatedly sending MIIS queries to get information pertaining to the same geographical coordinates will generate an unnecessary signaling burden.

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